Father involvement in the lives of mainland Puerto Rican children: Contributions of nonresident, cohabiting and married fathers

This study examines the nature and determinants of father involvement among mainland Puerto Ricans using interview data collected from mothers of a representative sample of Puerto Rican infants. Focusing on both financial contributions and participation in child care (e.g., diapering, feeding and bathing the child), the behavior of nonresident fathers is compared to that of cohabiting fathers and married fathers. A key question addressed in the analysis is whether father involvement is influenced primarily by the father's economic status or whether other factors identified in the literature are also important for Puerto Ricans. Overall, our results underscore the critical role of employment in fathers' contributions to Puerto Rican children.